PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB CHAMPIONSHIP REVEALS EXCITING PLANS FOR 2016

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship has announced a host of eye-catching developments ahead of the 2016 season following close consultation with teams, drivers and partners. Building on the success of a record-breaking 2015, the series will feature a number of key improvements to cement its reputation as the premier British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) support package.

The 2016 introductions will ensure that the series continues to be the perfect launch pad for anyone wishing to pursue a career in international sports car racing and remains a fantastic platform for Pro-Am drivers looking to elevate their passion and benchmark their skills on the best national stage possible.

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB CHAMPIONSHIP REVEALS EXCITING PLANS FOR 2016

The fastest and most successful single marque GT racing Championship in the UK will carry forward the considerable momentum from this season, with 2016 seeing the largest prize pot in the championship’s history and even closer links with the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. There will also be heavily increased Porsche support for teams and drivers and exciting initiatives to improve the on-track action.

Firstly, a substantial increase in prize money for the top three finishers in the professional category has been introduced. The Pro category champion will now receive £25,000 plus the use of a Porsche 911 for a year with second place picking up £15,000 and third place taking home £10,000. This is a reflection of the championship’s commitment to rewarding outstanding potential and attracting the best possible talent to the grid.

Porsche prides itself on transferring technology from the race track onto the road, and for 2016 its Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2 champions will continue to experience this transfer first-hand, by winning a Porsche 911 for a year. The Pro-Am2 winner will also have the option of time at the Porsche Experience Centre with a Porsche factory driver.

2016 also sees the introduction of three exclusive, fully-supported in-season tests to add to pre-season media day. Teams and drivers will therefore be able to benefit from Porsche expertise and knowledge on hand trackside and can count on uninterrupted track time exclusively reserved for Carrera Cup GB testing. This is the latest in a long line of initiatives to bring the championship and its teams closer together and provide the optimum platform for drivers to achieve their potential. Drivers will also profit from two days with Porsche Human Performance specialists to help them reach peak physical condition ahead of a testing season.

Each Carrera Cup GB driver’s slick tyre allocation for the season has also been increased to 21 sets, allowing them to maximise each and every practice session and gain more valuable track time at all of the prestigious venues on the calendar. This will make Friday track work more meaningful while keeping costs at an affordable level.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2016 also intends to support a World Endurance Championship round once again and give the drivers the incredible opportunity to perform under the watchful eyes of LMP and GT teams. As per 2015, that would mean the unforgettable chance for drivers to tour the Porsche Team RSR and LMP1 garages. A confirmed eight-race calendar with details on this season highlight and seven TOCA rounds will be released in due course.

This will be further evidence of the importance of Carrera Cups to the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. Drivers such as Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber raced their way up from Carrera Cup to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year and their remarkable achievements have cemented the Porsche Carrera Cup Championships’ reputation as the perfect springboard to a career on the international GT stage.

The 2016 additions will serve to complement the revolutionary concepts introduced last season which have proved so successful. These included the Rookie Class with its £50,000 winner’s prize, one of the biggest prizes in UK Motorsport, tyre and testing regulation changes to drive down costs and the Team Cayenne scheme to reward teams with two or more drivers. The results were the championship’s largest ever grid, a record-breaking 11-team field and an influx of highly ambitious drivers which have produced arguably the most exciting racing in the series’ history.

Teams, drivers and sponsors will also once again benefit from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB action being broadcast live on ITV4. Over the course of the season, these broadcasts reach an annual audience in excess of 20m viewers on Sunday afternoons. That is on top of the 30,000 enthusiastic spectators who attend the majority of races, and total crowds of approximately 370,000 over the duration of the season.

The championship is pleased to announce that it will once again be offering a series of highly-appealing early registration initiatives. Drivers who register before 1 December 2015 will be rewarded to the value of three sets of Michelin slick tyres with those registering before 17 January 2016 receiving a reward to the value of two sets of Michelin slick tyres.

Further details regarding entry to the 2016 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship are available by contacting [email protected] and the new season will be formally introduced at the Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC in January.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2016 key highlights

Pro class prize money increase: Winner receives £25,000 plus the loan of a Porsche 911 for a year; second place receives £15,000 and third place is rewarded with £10,000.

Pro-Am1 winner receives £7,000 plus the use of a Porsche 911 for a year with second place getting £4,000 and third place obtaining £2,000.

Pro-Am2 winner receives £5,000 plus the use of a Porsche 911 for a year or a PEC experience with a Porsche factory driver; second place obtains £3,000 and third place wins £1,000.

Three exclusive, fully-supported in-season tests and two days with Porsche Human Performance specialists for all drivers

Driver’s season slick tyre allocation increased to 21 to allow practice to be maximised throughout the season

The Championship intends to include an incredible WEC support race on its calendar once again and offer even closer links to the higher levels of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid